Things in the Woods

THINGS IN THE WOODS

Who You Are
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Simply put, you *were* a normal human of the modern world. But you've started to step outside that box. Meeting your mask changed everything, you see. So to try it again, you're a seeker who stalks through the world known as the Woods, and you try very hard to be a normal human.

The Mask
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You were given a mask, one whose face--its aspect--suited you perfectly. Maybe it came to you in a package, its sender unknown. Maybe it was an heirloom from some distant relative. Or maybe it made you think it had been abandoned in a bush by the side of the road. From the outside, it might've looked like mere chance, but it absolutely wasn't. The mask was created and placed so you alone would pick it up.

The mask could look like anything, from a plastic mask made to resemble some character or another like one you could win at a carnival booth, to a refined mask shaped of metal, wood, or leather. But all of them share one thing, a single word etched onto the back written in your native language:

BELIEVE

You didn't even have time to think, "Believe what?" Because the moment you first touched your mask, you -understood- what.

And such is the first of the powers a mask imparts to its owner: understanding. About what this mask of yours is, about it being the door to another world called the Woods, and about the powers you can now wield while in the Woods. The mask imprints information on your mind, forcing this understanding upon its owner.

Unfortunately, that means you also understand that you have fallen into the trap of the Maskmakers. Because you understand what fate awaits you: you will never be able to resist going into the Woods, and there die in a darkness far from the mundane world, torn apart by the Things in the Woods.

Your mask has two other powers. The second is worldcrossing, allowing you to come and go between the mundane world and the Woods. The last are its semblances, granting you supernatural power and abilities.

Master these powers, search the Woods, and some day find a means to leave it forever that doesn't involve dying. That is what you must do.

The Woods
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The Woods is an unending forest. You can find all kinds of terrain within it, including mountains, ravines, lakes, and meadows. The one thing you'll never find there however are people--at least, ones who aren't other Maskbearers.

Instead, the Woods is populated by trees, trees, and more trees. And between the trees, occasionally you'll find "things that look like" abandoned villages and newly built homes, caves dug by human hands, strange research facilities, the ateliers of mad artists, or even old ruins.

These "manmade" structures appear in the Woods after a hail, a phenomenon during which crystals fall from the sky above the Woods. Where the crystals land, the structures literally grow out of them. As most resemble nothing so much as modern buildings the occupants simply walked out of, Maskbearers refer to these as "empties," though the name is a bit misleading. Within an empty, you can find the crystal that grew it--as well as the Things it naturally spawns.

Everything from documents to signs of habitation can be found in an empty, but these buildings don't exist in the mundane world. Say you find a diary out in the Woods, or maybe one in an empty. You read it and find that the owner mentions going to school like you'd find in the mundane world. Finding that school and uncovering the identity of the diary's owner would prove impossible. Or even if the school did exist, no record of the owner would exist.

This tenuous connection to the mundane world is taken by Maskbearers as a bad joke on the part of the Maskmakers. Or maybe it's just something that happens to things that show up in the Woods.

Leaving those aside, the Woods largely appear as the Earth you may know. The plants and animals inhabiting the area tend to match what a seeker entering the Woods would be familiar with. For example, if a seeker from Japan enters the Woods, they'll see flora and fauna like they'd expect from the mountains of Japan.

More or less, anyway. Sometimes you'll find plants and animals that don't quite fit in. But even when there's a penguin or elephant wandering among the trees, they never seem to need anyone to take care of them, so it's fine.

And then there's the safetrees, which can serve as an entry point into the Woods. These usually look like giant trees standing in the middle of a clearing cut from the surrounding forest. Safetrees get their name from the supernatural power they possess, which keeps danger at bay. There's many safetrees out there, and a seeker can change where they enter the Woods by touching their mask to one.

Safetrees
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Safetrees look like no trees found on Earth, and with their bark like stone and the birds fluttering around it, they look like nothing so much as being straight out of a fairy tale. Due to their massive size, they can be seen from far away too. And while new safetrees are rare, it's not unknown to happen. However, they only sprout up where no one is watching, growing to full size in an instant.

A safetree's protective aura--known as its shroud--keeps Things from getting anywhere near it. That's not to say there's some kind of force field out there though. A Thing will simply avoid a safetree's shroud on its own. Which means that sometimes a Thing may appear inside the shroud, whether by accident or act of God. And when they do, the Thing can act as it will until it decides to leave and has to face the idea of entering a shroud once more.

Seekers should always be aware that a safetree's shroud doesn't affect humans, no matter how wicked their intentions. That's why you commonly find defensive walls surrounding safetrees, built by the seekers who use them as bases. Within a shroud, particularly on weekends, seekers will cross over to the Woods in order to exchange information, make deals, craft using materials found nearby, or just end up napping.

Era of an Empty
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Empties in the Woods more often than not look modern. When you find a calendar or electric appliance inside, the date they reveal can be the same as "today" in the normal world, or anywhere from several days to several decades in the past. Empties dating back even further than that have been known to appear, however.

These older empties are far fewer in number compared to the more modern ones, to the point that there are rumors claiming they only appear when conditions are right (though of course no one knows what those conditions might be). These older empties are called ruins, to make them distinct from the usually clean-looking modern empties. It also makes them distinct from empties that went undiscovered after a hail, making them old simply by the standards of the Woods.

Spoils of Exploration
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Seekers make it their goal to hunt down any empties that form after a hail. There, they kill the Things nesting within, and then either outmaneuver or cooperate with other seekers exploring the same empty to loot the crystal within.

But even beyond the crystal, empties often hold many things. While most of it will just end up being scrap suitable for crafting materials, sometimes you can find antique items, or even weapons and armor. Since empties often look like modern day homes whose owners have just stepped out however, the most prized loot will always be cash and jewelry.

In the Woods, there are no laws, and the empties belong to no one. None of the items within them will be missed by anyone, not in the Woods and not in the mundane world. Therefore, items in empties are free for the taking. Indeed, if the crystal in an empty isn't particularly high grade, then the cash and jewelry could prove to be worth even more than the crystal itself.

Curse of the Mask
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But there's more to your fascination with the Woods than just money. It's more like an addicition now, to the experiences so far and away removed from life in the mundane world: the feeling of omnipotence that comes when you wield the magic-like power of your mark, the nervous excitement of exploring strange ruins and dark forests, or the thrill of standing over an enemy killed by your hand, the satisfaction in taking their things.

No seeker can just give up on the adventure that is exploring the Woods. While you make it through your day in the mundane world, your web browser is always open to online shops that sell outdoors and self-defense gear, and you're constantly thinking about what might be helpful in the Woods. Cardboard boxes pile high in your room, and after you try out the latest gear in the Woods, you post reviews no one can hope to understand.

And it'll get worse. One day, you'll give in to the Calling, and you'll find yourself unable to return to the mundane world. When that happens, you'll be cast out of the shroud of your safetree, and at the end of a short, brutal life in the Woods, you'll meet your fate: becoming one of the very Things you've been fighting.

You've got to find a crystal of salvation before that happens. It's the only means of a permanent escape from the Woods.

There's not much to go on, and what's there islittle better than rumors. The how of finding one is all but unknown. But it has to do with the Maskmakers, don't you think? Those cryptid-like creatures who drew you into the curse of the mask in the first place. It's said they lurk in the Woods, waiting for one to master the power of the Mask before they appear before them... or maybe that in of itself is your escape.

Fighting the Curse
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A seeker who fails to visit the Woods for a long period of time is eventually beset by hallucinations. The monkeys and deer that show up in the shapes on walls are only the start, and they may even be real if you live in the countryside.

But then you place your hand on the rough wood of a log cabin's door, only to remember that your room's doorknob is steel. You shake your head, and the door goes back to the tiresome thing you always see. When you lay your head down to sleep, you hear the rustle of leaves outside your window from the grove of trees you know doesn't exist. The next morning you pull your shoes on, then when you take a step you feel the sensation of putting your bare foot in the soil.

You wait on the platform for the train, and when the doors open you're greeted by a flock of vibrantly colored birds flying past you in a chorus of shrill calls, then disappearing as quickly as they came. Then the suspicion that someone is watching you comes, from above, from behind. It creeps closer, and closer, and you know that something is coming for you. And then... in the end, you end up crossing over into the Woods. It doesn't matter if you want to or not; you will.

Worldcrossing
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You can cross worlds whenever you will it. Returning to the mundane world from the Woods is easy. With your mask close by, close your eyes and imagine, as vividly as you can, a scene from your everyday life. Your child, fast asleep. The home that will welcome you with open arms at any time. Or even just a place in your life, like the office or school you go to. If a person comes to mind, you'll appear near them. If you imagined a place, there you'll be.

Even if a Thing's claws are swiping towards your head and your face a moment from being peeled off, so long as you can keep calm and imagine where you want to be, it'll happen. Well... of course, in such a stressful situation, you'd be hard pressed to pull that off.

It's so easy to do however that in a calm situation, just reading an explanation like the one above probably would've sent you back to the mundane world. Moreover, the crossing eases you into the world, such that you always appear in a place where no one will notice. For example, behind a wall, unseen and unheard. Furthermore if you imagine something like a railway crossing you pass often in the mundane world, you'll always appear safely, with no fear of being run over by a train.

This method works for when you want to cross over into the Woods, too. Just imagine your safetree or the faces of your friends, and you'll be there.

The Calling
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The Calling is another side to the curse of the mask. Each time a seeker visits the Woods, and each time they wield their semblance, they lose their connections to the mundane world, no matter how cherished those connections may be. For every bond forgotten, they get more like a Thing. Their sanity slips away, and horrible mutations wrack their bodies. In the end, when the Calling is strongest, they become a Thing in truth.

The Mundane World
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The name given to the everyday world you originally came from, to distinguish it from the Woods. No one really calls it "the real world" or "reality" because you die just the same in the Woods, and that's real enough. Things in the Woods as a game is largely set in the Woods, and the mundane world is treated as a place to　retreat to if you need something. When you're hungry but have no provisions, or you're hurt and want to rest but there's danger all around, that's the best time to head back. There, you can hit up a convenience store, supermarket, or hardware store and buy what you need, or just head home, eat stuff out of the fridge and then curl up in your bed for some rest.

Problem is, it'll cost you. Going back even temporarily means once you're done, you'll need to return to the Woods again. Do that too often and the Calling will grow overwhelming all too soon.

To you, the mundane world is a place of safety and convenience, but it's also dull and dreary. Every time you enter the Woods, you're taken by the wonder and beauty of a world that is trying to kill you. Your heart beats in anticipation of the adventure that awaits you. And you lose just a little of your desire to ever leave.

You can protect against this by having longer stays in the mundane world. However, you'll inevitably fall behind on your errands and meetups with friends, as each time you transition between the two worlds, your interest in the mundane world will grow less and less, right up until you forget it entirely.

Crystals
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You'll find these magical stone-like things in the Woods. They look round, almost like a coin, and are semi-transparent with either a white or multi-colored surface. Some are small enough to be lifted with a finger, and some are heavy enough that you'd need both hands. But what's important is their power. Crystals are the stuff of humanity's hopes and dreams made real: they can enthrall humans, revive the dead, regenerate lost limbs, or completely heal even a terminal disease. But a high price must be paid in turn for those powers.

Your chief means of obtaining money is to collect these crystals from the empties created after a hail, then sell them at a safetree to another Maskbearer who needs one. You of course may have your own income in the mundane world, but typically everything made in the mundane world goes to supporting your mundane lifestyle and isn't easily spent on things to use exploring the Woods. So then, when you get to thinking you'd like to buy a nice weapon or some warm outdoor wear, you'd better sell your crystals.

There are two main ways to sell. Either you can sell to tourists who want a crystal with a specific effect, or you can sell to people from one of the factions who will usually buy any crystals you've got to offer. It may interest you to know that not only can crystals be used in the Woods, they can be used in the mundane world too. However, when someone uses one out in the mundane world, the price they pay is their own existence.

Someone who uses a crystal in the mundane world completely vanishes from both that world and the Woods. As part of the effect of the crystal, the world is supernaturally made to be consistent, so everyone who knows the person who vanished will, seemingly on their own, come up with reasons as to why their acquaintance disappeared. Therefore, people who want to use a crystal in the mundane world have a wish they'd give their lives in exchange for, or the drive to force someone they don't care about to use it.

Hmm... was that maybe something better left unsaid? Well, whatever, it's not important. Using a crystal in the Woods carries far less of a cost than being erased, so don't worry about it.

People of the Woods
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Every human in the Woods is someone from the mundane world cursed with a mask. They, as well as you, are collectively referred to as Maskbearers.

To reiterate, every human prowling around the Woods has a mask, without exception. And while any Maskbearer can invoke their power even with their mask off, showing off one's mundane identity for all to see in the lawless and unpoliced Woods is dangerous, so generally Maskbearers greet one another with masks on.

Among Maskbearers, there are those who can draw on their mask's supernatural abilities, called its semblance, which gives them alone the power to fight Things. As this lets them go out into the Woods and find excitement, these Maskbearers--you included--are referred to as seekers. Some particularly well-known, well-liked, and powerful people among the seekers have been given the task of leading Maskbearers to safetrees. Ordinary seekers have come to call these people "caretakers," as they're kind of like older siblings you can rely on, and they often act as brokers for finding work in the Woods.

On the other end, those without a semblance are referred to as tourists. For them, exploring deep into the Woods or entering a landform is tanamount to suicide. As such, they tend to hang around a safetree's shroud, doing some light camping or enjoying some bushcraft before heading back to the mundane world. They're just as prey to the Calling as anyone else, even without all the violence inherent in a seeker's life, so doing easy stuff like that is best for a tourist. But, while they can't compare to seekers in strength, they have their own things going on, or unique assets they bring to the table. They may even have things they need from the Woods, which seekers can get and be rewarded for.

Some tourists however make themselves useful by keeping an eye out for when and where it hails. These tourists are usually referred to as stargazers. Stargazers bring special cameras and hard drives that can record for an entire week into a safetree's shroud, then run their equipment using portable generators. They then collect information on hails that happen around the safetree and then sell it. Some may even give out this information for free to seekers of their choice. The reason being, if they can't find a crystal of salvation for seekers, then they themselves will never be able to escape the Woods either.

There are of course still others to talk about. Once the Calling grows too strong for a Maskbearer, they start to be unable to return to the mundane world and are stuck in the Woods. When that happens, it's proof your body's about to start turning into a Thing. If a Thing were to show up within a safetree's shroud, then tourists--who make up the majority of all Maskbearers--would have no hope of fighting it off. Thus, Maskbearers who can't leave the Woods are cast out from most safetrees. These poor folks are usually called exiles if they can have a semblance, or refugees if they don't.

Whether exile or refugee, they live a desperate life, and their need to grab all the food that they can poses a threat even for seekers. Which is to say, many of them see seekers *as* food. That doesn't have to be the case, of course--noble exiles could establish some kind of means of survival outside of the safetree shrouds, and could even form a kind of settlement together with refugees, keeping them under their protection. But there's a vast difference between a normal Maskbearer and one who is desperate to survive. Caution is always advised when dealing with one such as they.

The Administration Bureau
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Suited agents of the Bureau go from safetree to safetree collecting white crystals, usually thought of as basically worthless due to their trivial effects.　Some of them will occasionally purchase white　crystals from seekers and tourists, but more often they're involved in offering jobs that send seekers out to collect white crystals with specific effects from a specific empty, for which they already know the location.

About half of the Bureau's agents can use a semblance, while the other half cannot. All of them carry a handgun in their suits, but that doesn't mean they're particularly dangerous. Most prefer to simply make a quick exit to the mundane world rather than risk it when a fight's brewing. Likewise, they aren't allowed by their own rules to explore the Woods on their own. When they need to move from safetree to safetree, they hire seeker bodyguards.

"The Administration Bureau" may sound foreboding, but they don't really try to impose any law or order upon the Woods or seekers, and even what bureau they might be administering is unknown. There are many restrictions on an agent's funds and mundane lives, and while the name may bring to mind a government organization or even make you think of them as suspicious, they're known to be regular Maskbearers. That said, it's rare that they're late on promised payments, and it's even rarer for them to lie about the details of a job they have. You probably don't have to worry about being betrayed by a group that, as a whole, places such value on trust.

Also, don't bother looking for the Bureau in the mundane world, it's a waste of time.

Morgan's Magic Market
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These guys are a secretive group of merchants who deal in crystals. They're collectively known as M3.

Thanks to the traders of M3 buying up all kinds of crystals, you can in turn buy all kinds of gear in the mundane world, then cross over and stockpile it at a safetree. They've got stores set up all over. None of the traders look anything alike, but while in the Woods all of them wear the fist-sized emblem M3 is known for. To seekers, M3 merchants are indispensible, as they allow one to buy last-minute gear before setting off to explore.

However, while M3 will gladly pay for your crystals, they won't sell any. The one exception they make is when selling one would lead to the acquisition of even more crystals. Normally though, they don't even have them on hand at a safetree.

M3 merchants don't move around, preferring to stay at one safetree. They just have too much merchandise to move easily. Moreover, the members of M3 are highly competitive with one another and would readily meddle in one another's affairs, so it's sort of an unwritten rule to have one M3 merchant per safetree anyway.

When it comes to seekers, M3 traders often have dangerous jobs that need doing, such as moving large parcels, or even assaulting rival traders. Apparently the grade and number of crystals they acquire gives them a higher status, which in turn plays a role in their manuevering within their organization.

Officially, there aren't very many seekers, or rather semblance users within M3. But even if there were, they'd just hide that information anyway.

For a "secret society" they're pretty odd, such that you can get in contact with them even in the mundane world. If you need something, you can tell them through their website, and if you actually go to meet with them with your mask, you can talk business with them in person.

The Church of Regression
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And here we have the cultists arrayed in their tattered robes. The Church is a shamanistic cult whose members aren't often seen in the mundane world, or even at safetrees. Instead you'll find them deep in the Woods, living rough-and-tumble lives in hermitages and settlements they've constructed themselves.

And that's because, in short, they worship the Woods itself as a god. They preach that all humans should live in the Woods, and trips to the mundane world should be kept to a bare minimum. Moreover, they view crystals, semblances, and even the bestial instincts the Calling bestows in an unusually positive light, and they won't hesitate to use any of them should the need arise.

To the Church of Regression, exiles and refugees are blessed people, a sign of the coming day of unity where all are of the Woods. As refugees and exiles must also live a life of harsh survivalism, the church proactively seeks them out to render aid. Naturally, anyone with a semblance, even if they're not of the Church, is important to them. Should you encounter one, be prepared for them to call you "Master" and treat you with a certain awe.

Rather than people you'd go to for a job, they tend to be more people you run into unexpectedly in the Woods. If you had to put a label on them you'd call them heretics, but generally speaking if you're friendly to them they'll be of help in taking down Things. They don't carry any money on them however, so they're kind of terrible to trade with.

The Internet
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It may surprise you to learn this, but the Maskbearers that congregate around certain safetrees or belong to one of the various groups utilize the internet in the mundane world to stay in touch. There are plenty of BBS sites and chatrooms set up where Maskbearers can make deals over crystals, talk about jobs, swap info on hails, or just engage in some light chatting. You may worry about this, but it's so obscure a topic that it more often than not gets mistaken for people talking about a game. There haven't been any issues so far, anyway.

Things
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The Things are supernatural animals, and the time will come when you're one of them. To explain a bit more, they're mutant animals who look a bit like large animals we're used to, but have been combined with parts from other animals, or implanted with organs of creatures that can't be found anywhere on Earth. Things come from one of two places: they're either Maskbearers who have completed their transformation, or are spawned naturally after a hail.

Just in this area, a fire-breathing, flying elk, a giant with multiple arms sprouting from its head, and an acid-spitting snake have all been spotted. All of them are, without exception, hostile. And while none of them actually need to consume food, they love to eat humans. One look, one sound from it, or even just sensing one nearby can drive a seeker to lose their reason. And if a Thing finds you, it will relentlessly hunt you until it senses it's better off leaving you alone, or you're reduced to mere meat.　To kill them, you need more than just your semblance and weapon in hand--you'll need to carefully lay traps ahead of time.

Things are divided into several groups according to their classification, and furthermore, it's believed that each group has what's called an Alpha. It's a fairly common tale between seekers that Alpha Things are guardians of crystals of salvation. Other popular theories include saying Alpha Things are no more than the puppets of the Maskmakers, or that they are the Maskmakers, or even that they're the last boss of the last dungeon you need to clear to get a crystal of salvation.

Maybe it needn't be said, but no seeker has ever met an Alpha Thing and lived, so these theories are more like rumors.

Things have some degree of intelligence, seen best in how they stalk after seekers, and how cunning they are in combat. But if any are capable of communication, no seeker has ever been successful at it. You can't talk your way out of fighting one, and needless to say you couldn't tame one and ride it around or keep it as a pet to be doted on. There's really no other way about it: the Things are your enemy.

Other Threats
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And it's not just the Things, of course. It's not rare at all to fight with other seekers over crystals. Anyone can see a hail when it happens, so any seekers who just happen to see one will obviously rush over to get the crystal.

Moreover, exiles and refugees sometimes occupy empties that fell in a hail long ago where no one saw it, or in ruins where the crystal has been harvested and the Things long gone. These folks, who are in their final days and know it, are generally hostile and will violently repel anyone they don't know who enters their territory. Even if you come in greater strength and numbers then they are, with them having nowhere else to go, they'll fight at least until they're seriously hurt, or even to the death.

So long as your opponent still has some attachment to their mundane lives, fighting with another human probably won't escalate to killing one another. But if there's no attachment, then life becomes cheap. The ethical standards of modern living stop being useful. At the absolute worst, people will just view you as food.

And of course, when we talk about humans coming together to form groups and factions, those groups may very well turn against you for their own, unknowable reasons.

Lastly, let's mention the thing that will turn even your friends into your enemies.

There's a method for recovering from an advanced Calling, which involves killing a Thing. But when you do this, only one person can benefit from it. If you and your friends are at a point where they aren't feeling the Calling too much, then it's easy to find a compromise. But if everyone's at the verge of being exiles at the end of a battle to the death with a Thing, who is it then who should get it?

In this way, you yourself may become your own enemy.

Each time the Calling grows stronger in you, you forget some of the things you care about from your mundane life. And since you need to find a crystal of salvation, fighting with Things is unavoidable. Your love for your career or maybe your kid will then be threats to your ability to survive. Once you've lost all of these connections, that's when you'll see your past self as something to hate as well. You might think to yourself that while you'll lose interest in the mundane world while you fight, surely your bonds with your friends in the Woods will strengthen. And they will... until you forget them, too, and lose any hope you had of winning over the Calling. And then you'll be an enemy to your friends, ripping them to shreds.


And Then There's You
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You prowl through the Woods as a seeker, fighting. While you may know your ultimate goal is to find a crystal of salvation, you have no idea how to reach it, and you're not even sure if it's possible in the first place. But even so, you keep going out there, and maybe that's part of the curse of your Mask. Maybe you just like the feeling of being thanked after you take on a job from a tourist and deal with the problems they can't handle. Perhaps it's because you only feel alive when you're putting your life on the line to kill a Thing. There's even a chance you do it for your friends, who won't let you go out there alone.

Whatever your reason, it's your choice to make.

A Memory of Yours
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You've already met a Maskmaker.

The first time you came to the Woods and appeared at a safetree, you saw it there standing before you: a creature entirely covered in a black robe that was adorned with seemingly infinite masks.

"Maybe you're the one who will end it."

A voice sounded from within that black hood, neither a man's nor a woman's. Arms like dead branches extended from its sleeves, and in the next moment it was upon you, seizing your shoulders.

"The time draws nigh. Will you prove to be the one?"

"There is a way out."

"Believe that there is, as we do."

The Maskmaker's many mouths opened, and with every word it spoke, it gripped your shoulders tighter and tighter until you felt pain as it did.

"You will be rewarded."

With that, the pain eased, and when you blinked, the Maskmaker was gone.

After that, you met with the caretaker of the safetree you appeared at, and began your adventure as a seeker.　Should you decide to tell anyone that story, you'll find that only you and your friends share that experience. None of the other Maskbearers have ever met a Maskmaker. They don't believe.